


A Warm Cup of Coffee

by orphan_account



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fluff, M/M, Mostly Platonic, niki's kinda ooc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:55:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25643884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Despite how cold the winter could get, it was nothing against a warm cup of coffee.
Relationships: Shiina Niki/Oukawa Kohaku
Kudos: 10





	A Warm Cup of Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> ah, i guess i should start with the fact that i only recently started shipping them due to that one part in night club when Rinne and Kohaku were trying to get Niki to preform with them, then Kohaku gives Niki the "pleading look", and i just thought it was cute.
> 
> this is actually pretty platonic, and niki might be a little too ooc but i hope it doesn't bother you too much.
> 
> also kohaku is the first character i've written with a kyoto dialect aside from hanayagi kaoruko, but she had only made a minor appearance when i wrote her, so i hope i did his kyoto dialect justice.

In an attempt to warm his hands from the cold winter breeze he put them in front of his mouth and calmly exhaled, but it was pointless. Even with his jacket on and his hand inside its pockets Kohaku felt like at any moment he was going to freeze in the exact place he was standing. Maybe rushing outside as quickly as he did was not a good idea.

Winter was getting closer with each day passing by, something very noticeable in the sudden cold weather that has been striking during the whole week. If he was being honest, at that moment he kind of missed spring’s warm evenings a bit.

As he walked around there were lights, decorations and beautiful showcases.

_Ah, that time of the year again..._

It wasn't like he didn’t enjoy the christmas-like surroundings, but only after focusing on them he realized what time of the year was, the end of it was approaching steadily, and with that, one of his least liked events.

Kohaku was the only male child of the owner of a highly important and influential company, with such prominent roots the end of the year was nothing to ignore. Essential dinners, parties and events, mostly hosted by his parents, were something that became common and expected by all his family and their guests, which Kohaku grew to slowly despise with each passing year.

If he received a dollar every time that at those events he was approached for nothing more to receive a comment with high pressure on himself, he could establish his own company far from the one his family owned –not that he wished to do that, though–. He learned to accept that the only things others saw in him were his origins, appearance or wealth, all topics he was not comfortable discussing about, even less with people he barely recognized or knew anything about. In the end, Kohaku knew people cared for him more because of where he came from rather than who he actually was, which led to losing all value he held by any little mistake or disagreement.

Part of the fault he was walking outside at the moment was that pressure. Sometimes he just needed to take fresh air and calm his mind alone, where neither his father or his own thoughts could reach him, and nothing better for that than a stroll outside, far from places he usually accustomed. If Kohaku was honest, there were times where the urge was so sudden and so strong that not even he himself could pinpoint the actual reason, but if he was sure of something, it was that some time alone was for the best.

But not mattering how comforting a walk could be, the chill atmosphere was impossible to ignore. In addition, he wasn’t sure what time it was, the night fell just merely hours ago but he had no way of knowing the exact time, as his phone was left in his room behind. With that thought he could perfectly picture the amount of missed calls from his parents before they realized that there was no way he could answer, and the irritation that must be filling them. He frowned. He wished he was wrong and no one noticed he was out at the moment, like most of the time.

It didn’t take much longer for Kohaku to realize he was walking paying almost no attention to where he was going exactly for a while, his thoughts driving him to nowhere in particular and far from previous locations. He couldn’t recognize that part of the city well enough, but the shops and restaurants around could only mean it was supposed to be a small shopping district, one which he had never visited before. To his surprise most places were already closed, most likely due to the near end of the year and its festivities, but Kohaku would be lying if he said the amount of turned off lights in the large street didn’t tense his nerves a bit.

He was considering to stop the strolling for the day as he turned to an adjacent road and came across a slightly more lively place, sighing in relief. “Shiina’s espresso” could be read in a faint light, of what seemed to be one of the only places staying open at that moment. Driven by curiosity, and also by the chance of calming the cold for a while, he stepped in.

“Good evening…!” was what he first heard once he entered, a rushed voice that indicated the surprise of the person at the counter. He caught a glimpse of him yawning right after greeting him, and Kohaku felt a bit worried he might have caught the place just moments before it closes for the day, which was enforced by viewing the empty place, but the lively welcoming encouraged him to go in anyways.

Once in and looking at the man more closely Kohaku noticed the slumber features, clear in his distracted eyes and kind of sloppy expression.

“Fallin' asleep doesn’t sound like the smartest thing to do.”

The man in front of him scratched the back of his neck, and his face showed confusion in a troubled expression, his smile now looking more forced than before. It took a moment for Kohaku to realize he spoke out loud his thoughts, and embarrassment built up in him.

“I...I mean” Kohaku coughed, clearing his throat. “Ya must be tired, it’s not good to keep workin' like that, ya know?” he was aware of how poorly and improvised it sounded.

“I see?” the man sighed, still looking wary “It’s not time to close yet, I think it would be even less smarter to close just for this.” Kohaku’s worry increased, but right after a pause the man changed his expression as if the previous exchange didn’t occur. “Anyways, may I take your order?”

And with that Kohaku proceeded to quickly snap out of his mind, give a brief review to the menu behind the counter and ordered what first caught his attention, praying it was any kind of hot drink. Being honest, he wasn't the type to order any fancy drink or something too out of the ordinary, he wasn’t even familiar with these kind of coffeeshops in the first place. Judging by the smile he received in return and the “good choice” almost whispered at him it was indeed what he had hoped for.

After asking for his name and writing it on the cup he got immediately to work in the order, Kohaku didn’t put much mind to it, supposing it was normal there even if he was actually the only person there, and just sat somewhere near the corner. Not even 5 minutes later, there the boy was standing beside him and there was a cup on the table in front of him.

“Enjoy it."

The first thing Kohaku did was hold the coffee with both hands for a while, feeling how the warmth wrapped them was so comfortable that he could almost forget the freezing sensation of just a few minutes ago. The colour green of the cup adorned with red details suited the atmosphere around nicely, and he supposed it was made especially for the festivity.

“This is…?” Kohaku pointed at the two silhouettes, which were near his name on the cup. He had to admit the penmanship was almost impeccable, but couldn’t be sure for the drawings.

“Oh, don’t mind it, just a little doodle.” there was a slight embarrassment in his voice, but pride as well “I didn’t think you would notice them.”

“Yes, but it is…?”

“A flower and a river-”[1*] the pride in him remained, “Well, your name is interesting, its meaning, so I tried to draw a cherry blossom there. But it looked kinda vain so I drew a river too, you know because of the second kanji of your surname.”

Kohaku almost choked on the coffee, realizing this man could potentially know his family, he diverted the attention from himself. “So yer the owner of the place?”

“Oh no no, not really.” he chuckled “My dad is, but I guess you could say I’m something like that. By the way, my name is Shiina Niki, but feel free to just call me Niki.”

“Fine, Niki-han.” the other smiled by hearing his name. “I never imagined ya would have a name like that...” he paused for a moment “B-but I don’t mean it in a bad way er somethin'.”

“It’s fine” Niki laughed again “I guess it’s normal that you would think that, I don’t exactly look like the shop owner....or the owner's son by any means.”

Kohaku nodded while drinking from the cup – it tasted so good that in some way he would hate for it to cool before finishing.

Looking at Niki more carefully, he didn’t stand out with anything in particular, he wasn’t wearing any special uniform, just a black apron over his clothes even without the shop name on it, his face didn’t radiate any form of authority or over confidence, something Kohaku had been used to, all people with an important position wear it on them, like his cousin for example.

By just a little exchange, if Kohaku were to describe Niki in one word it would be “normal”, just a regular person like everybody, someone who could perfectly be mistaken for a usual part-timer worker in there, who wouldn’t stand out if he remained in silence and could easily be overlooked by accident.

Niki looked exactly like any normal person, he looked right how Kohaku would like to be seen. Not someone special just for their positions or appearance, but as any common person, valued just for being themselves and their actions, not just for courtesy. Despite them being in somewhat similar positions, there was a world of difference between them, and Kohaku couldn’t help but feel interested in that not-so-coincident coincidence.

“Does yer father want ya to take care of the shop in the future?” Kohaku was not someone to leave his curiosity unsatisfied and expectating, and besides furthering the conversation didn’t seem like a bad idea, at least judging by Niki’s reaction.

“Hmm...I think so.” he paused “But it’s not like I don’t take care of it currently. Dad is often busy outside with other issues, and since it’s only him, my mom and I, we have no other option but to attend here.”

As Niki elaborated more, Kohaku was able to connect more dots. Niki didn’t seem especially pleased with looking after the coffeeshop, but didn’t seem displeased either. He didn’t dislike the idea of owning the shop in the future, but he wouldn’t be mad at not owning it.

In Kohaku's eyes, Niki was completely neutral towards the matter. He thought that it was kind of sad how resigned Niki felt, and was even more sad to wonder if he would grow to be just like that regarding his father's company, despite deep inside acknowledging he was already slowly moving on and becoming hopeless in his wish to do and be something else by himself.

“I see.” Kohaku knew he shouldn’t pry more into the man’s life, but something in him wanted to know more, even just vain details won’t have any meaning later. “But is there anythin' else that ya would prefer?”

Kohaku left the cup – now already half empty – on the table to look at him without distraction, leaving the drawings and his name facing at him.

“Aren’t you a curious one, huh” Niki deadpanned, but before Kohaku could respond he was already laughing it off “But it’s okay, don’t worry” something of that answer made him wonder if it was actually fine, he knew it was improper of him to ask that much in the first place after all.

“It’s not my intention to make ya uncomfortable or bother ya.”

“And I really think it is fine, Kohaku-chan. No need to worry over it!”

Hearing his name was weird. Normally people he wasn't so familiar with would just drop an emotionless “Oukawa-san” at him, but a “Kohaku-chan"... being called with such care felt much better.

Kohaku wondered if the other knew his surname and recognized it, would the climate change?  
Most likely.

After a deep breath, Niki continued. “Actually, you see....it’s not like I hate this place or the job, but there’s something I have been interested in for quite some time.” Kohaku remained in silence, letting him know he was listening “Something I really like is dancing, specifically stuff having to do with idols and all that” he noticed the other fidgeting, then Niki laughed mildly “But I know it’s something dumb, haha…”

“I don’t think it’s somethin' dumb at all.”

“No, it really is.” Kohaku didn’t like the gloomy face Niki was making. "Others are always telling me that, dad thinks it wouldn’t be convenient to even try to get more deep in that. I think my mother is the only one who is actually supportive, but she has always been the kind type so I doubt she would be completely honest about it.”

Kohaku wanted to reply with something, anything, but nothing came to his mind. He remained in silence for a while, thinking about the other’s words, but at the same time his head blanked.

“Anyways, sorry for that” he scratched the side of his neck, Kohaku could tell his hand was shaking briefly.

“Don’t say that, it was me who asked in the first place when I should've not. I think it’s good to aspire at somethin' like that.” he paused for a moment, “There'll always be people who will appreciate it, and those who don’t eventually will once they see how much you enjoy yourself with it.” Niki didn’t say a word. "Personally I believe it would be a better idea to try than not, it’s not like you will be abandoning everythin' else.”

The silence remained and Kohaku worried he said more than he should. Maybe he shouldn’t have intervened in something so private, no, he shouldn’t even have said anything in the first place, just thank him for the coffee, drink it without saying a word and leaving would have been the ideal. Countless thoughts were suddenly stopped with the sound of Niki's laugh, his hand covering his mouth attempting to shut it. Kohaku had no idea what was going on anymore.

“I wasn’t expecting that at all.” Kohaku didn’t respond, and could not imagine what kind of face was he making due to Niki's funny expression in return, “I suppose you are right.”

The possibility of Niki just wanting to bury the topic quickly existed, he was aware and considered it, but just looking at the other made him discard the idea. Something about Niki made him believe he has been sincere, his expression had loosened and he seemed less tense, Kohaku sighed in relief and grabbed his coffee again.

“Ya should consider it, Niki-han."

“I'll take that for granted, Kohaku-chan."

Niki kept him company as he stayed there, talking out his mind and mentioning topics which even if Kohaku was not familiar with, was still interested in listening to what he had to say. In return, Kohaku would answer with bits of details about himself, letting himself to discuss matters he normally would prefer to keep quiet about and not share so freely.

Niki's presence made him feel at ease, he wasn't used to it, and realized how enjoyable was to just pass the time in a conversation with someone, without any constraints or unsaid affairs. Kohaku hoped the other felt something similar, or at least not be bothered by his company or chat, but guessing by how sympathetic every response and sign was, he deduced it was the former.

Once Kohaku finally finished his drink – well, a while later than he did – he decided it was better to head back. He wasn't someone to usually lose track of time, but it didn't hurt to have a free evening like this.

As he stepped out he could feel the chilling cold weather again, but hearing Niki's goodbyes at his back was comforting enough to make him look forward to the next time he could spend an evening there again. Despite how cold the winter could get, it was nothing against a warm cup of coffee.

**Author's Note:**

> [1*] = the first kanji in Kohaku's surname "Oukawa" is 桜 (Ou) meaning "Cherry Blossom", and the second kanji 河 (kawa) meaning "river"
> 
> i wrote this to distract myself from using all my whistles and gummies on the first day of the double face event lol
> 
> thanks for reading~


End file.
